Automatic fire alarm and extinguisher.



I. A. HOPKINS, 1n. AUTOMATIC FIRE ALARM AND EXTINGUISHER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 15. 1915.

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.H0P |Ns.1R. AUTOMATiC FIRE ALARM AND EXTINGUISHER.

APPLICATlON FILED MAY \5. l9l5- Patented Jan. 9, 1917.

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JOHN A. HOPKINS, JR., OF BURNS, KANSAS.

AUTOMATIC FIRE ALARM AND nxrrncursnnn.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 9, 1917.

Application filed May 15, 1915. Serial No. 28,411.

To all whom it may concern v Be it known that 1, JOHN A. HorKINs, Jr., a citizen of the United States, residingat Burns, in the county of Butler and State of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Fire Alarms and Extinguishers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The invention relates to an automatic fire alarm and extinguisher.

The object of the present invention is to improve the construction of fire alarms and to provide an automatic fire alarm and extinguisher of simple and comparatively inexpensive construction adapted to sound an audible alarm and capable also of inverting a fire extinguisher and dischargingthe contents thereof for extinguishing a fire.

With these and other objects in View the invention consists in the construction and novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the claims hereto appended, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advan-- tages of the invention.

In the drawings Figure '1 is a side elevation of a fire alarm and extinguisher constructed in accordance with this invention,

Fig. 2-is a vertical sectional view of a portion of the device, Fig. 3 is a sectional View of the lower portion of the tubular casing illustrating the arrangement of the hollow fusible plug, Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view on the line 4-4. of Fig. 2, Fig. 5 is a detail view illustrating the arrangement of the fixed and movable contacts, Fig. 6 is a side elevation. of the tubular casing, Fig. 7 is a detail view of the washer which forms a 'bearing'for the upper end of the coiled spring, Fig. 8 is a detail perspective view of the hollow fusible plug, Fig. 9is adetail view of the frame to which the fire extinguisher is pivoted. Fig. 10 is a horizontal section through the tubular casing on a plane a short distance abovethe washer.

Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings.

In the accompanying drawings in which is illustrated the preferred embodiment of the invention, 1 designates a tubular casing constructed of suitable metal and having a lower tapered portion 2 and an open lower end 3. The lower portion of the casing is also provided with perforations at and is adapted to receive a hollow fusible plug 5 tapered to conformto the configuration of the tapered portion of the casing and constructed of a material adapted to melt at a low point so that it will easily fuse or melt in the event of a fir occurring in the locality of the casing. ed to expose the fusible plug to the action of the heat of a fire and the perforations which are also provided for this purpose permit the escape of the melted material of which the plug is made. Any suitable material such as cocoa butter may be employed in the manufacture of the plug and the hollow character of the plug will enable the same to collapse readily when itis subjectedto the heat of a fire. to hold a coiled spring 5 in a retracted or compressed condition and the said coil spring 5 is interposed between the upper end of the fusible plug and a washer 6 which is arranged in a horizontal slot 7 in the upper portion of the casing 1. The coil spring 5 which is equipped at its lower end with a cylindrical cap 8 of any suitable material is also provided with a longitudinal stem 9 consisting of an extension of the lower end 10 of the coil spring and extending entirely through and above the same as clearly illustrated in Fig. 20f the drawings. The washcr'6 which is removably arranged in the horizontal slot 7 of the casing 1 is provided with a radially arranged slot 11,

havin its inner )ortion. enlar ed at 12 andv forming a passage for the stem 9 of the coiled spring. The washer is adapted to be readily removed to permit the spring to be detached when it is necessary to replace the fusible plug, after an operation of the device.

The casing 1 is provided at opposite sides of its intermediate portion with laterally projecting ears or flanges 18 adapted to receive screws or other suitable fastening devices for securing the'casing to. a wall or other supporting surface and the upper end of the casing issecured to the wall by a screw 14 which also fastens a fixed contact 15 to the upper portion of the casingwhich is extended at the back 16. V

The fixed contact 15 which is insulated by The open lower end is adapt- The fusible plug is adapted V washers 17 of mica or any other suitable material, receives one of theawires 18 of a closed.

circuit which has its wire 19 connected with the upper portion of the'stemfi which con stitutes a movable contact. The upper end 20 of the stem 9 is split or bifurcatedand,

ing of the fusible plug the upper end 21 'of' the stem will be. carriedout of the recess 21 of thefix'ed contact 15 and the circuit will be broken. Theclo'sed circuit may control any suitable audible alarm which will be sounded when the circuit is broken by the downward movement of the stem 9. The stem 9 is also" provided at its upper. portion with a shoul-' der. 22 which engages the inner arm 23 of the trigger 24: and holds the same inengagement wlth the recess 25 of a l nk or bar 26,

of a pivotally mounted fire extinguisher 27.

The trigger 24whichis approximately-L- shaped is pivoted at a point intermediate of the ends of its'longer side at 28 in a slot 29' in one'side of the, casing 1 The arm or bar 26is supported upon 'thewasher 6 which has a projecting portion to facilitate its 're-,

moval." The supported end ofthe arm or bar 26 extends into the slot 29 and therecess 25'is formed in the upper edge of the arm or bar and it receives the short side of the L-shaped trigger which projects downwardly as clearly shownin Fig. 2 of the drawings. The supported arm: 23" of the trigger is heavier than theljL-shaped armor portion which. engages the recess spring and the stem with from the recess 25:. Should, however, the trigger remain in engagement with the re cess itwill be positively carried out of such engagement by the shoulder 22 of the flange to which the wire 19is connected. The fire extinguisher 27 which is supported in an inclined position to cause it to drop by gravity when released .is provided at its upper side with an ear 30 to 26 is connected by a pivot 31, but the arm or barmay be secured'tothe fire extinguisher in any other, desired manner.

The fire extinguisher 27 which has a concaved lower end is provided thereat with spaced ears 32 anditis pivoted by a horizontal fasteningdevice 33 to an open frame.

casing l is secured. The fire extinguisher and when the jits shoulder 22 moves downwardly,-the trigger will be released and will disengage itself bygravity which the arm or bar frame and be em-- bedded in theadjacent wallto 'which' the which may be of desired construction is preferably, equipped at the upper portion with a receptacle 35 arranged in a vertical positionawhenthe. fireextinguisher is in its normal lnclined position and dependlng tion of the device. The fire extinguisher is provided with a nozzle 37 having discharge apertures 38 and connected with the fireextinguisherby a neck 39 adapted to-receive a plug of fusible material to form a stopper for retaining the contents of. the extinguisher withinthe same until it is fused by the heat of the fire;

This will prevent evaporation of the con tents of the fire extinguisher and loss of strength of the same.

hen a fire. occurs the heatwill melt the fusible plug 5 and permit thespring to ex pand and move its stem do-wnwardly:- This will open the closed circuit and sound the audible alarm and at the same time release the fire extinguisher and cause the-same to swing downwardly to discharge its contents. By mounting the supporting frame of the fire extinguisher above the floor, thefireextinguisher will hang in a dependingvertical position when released by the trigger. I The fire extinguisher is sct at an inclination-andit will positively swing downwardly when released.

What is claimed is z 1. A device of the class described including a tubular casin .adapted to receive a 1 fusible plug, a coiled spring arranged with-- in the casing and having one; of its'ends arranged to be engaged by-the plug, said spring being providedwith a stem-extend--' ing from such end-of the springthrough the latter andgprojecting beyond the other end of the spring, a removable washermounted within the casing and having a slotreceiving thesaidstem and-constituting a bearing-forthe adjacent end of the spring.

2. A device of the class described including a tubular casing adapted to= receive a fusible plug within one'end of it, a contact located at the other-end of the-casing a spring arranged within the casing andhaving one ofits ends bearing'against the fusible plug and provided with a stem extending from'such end to; the spring and'normallyengaging the said contact, saidustem constituting a movable contact and means for holding the other end of the spring.-

3. A device of the class'desoribed including a casingwadapted' to receive :a fusible plug a spring mounted within the casing andarranged to be held ina compressed conits dition by the fusible plug, a fixed contact provided with a recess and a stem connected with the spring and having a bifurcated portion engaging the fixed contact in the recess thereof and constituting a movable contact adapted to be carried out of such engagement by the expansion of the spring.

4. A device of the class described including an inclined fire extinguisher pivotally mounted at its lower end, an arm or bar connected with the fire extinguisher and provided with a recess, a casing receiving the arm or bar and supporting the same, said casing being adapted to contain a fusible plug, a spring located within the casing and arranged to be maintained in a compressed condition by the fusible plug and a trigger connected with the spring and normally engaging the arm or bar and adapted to release the same when the spring expands.

5. A device of the class described including a pivotally mounted inclined fire extinguisher provided at the top with a vertically disposed receptacle having apertures at upper portion and means including a fusible plug for normally holding the fire extinguisher in an inclined position.

6. A device of the class described includmg a casing having a lower portion provided with apertures and adapted to receive a fusible plug, a coiled spring located within the casing and arranged to be held in a compressed condition by the fusible plug, a

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Washington, D. G.

stem connected with the lower end of the spring and extending through the same and with apertures and adapted to receive a" fusible plug, a coiled spring located within the casing and arranged to be maintained in a compressed condition by the fusible plug and expansible when the plug is fused, a rod connected with the spring and adapted to be actuated by the same and constituting a movable contact, a fixed contact arranged in the path of the rod, a catch connected with the rod and actuated by the same and an automatic tiltable fire extinguisher provided with a bar or member engaged by the catch for holding the fire extinguisher normally against movement, said bar or member being released by the movement of the spring.

In testimonywhereof I alfix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN A. HOPKINS, JR. Witnesses:

J. O. LINTNER, L. M. GASKILL.

Commissioner of Patents, 

